Dr Roza Sage Member for Blue Mountains, Sergio Rosato Principal at St Thomas Aquinas Primary, Paul Ryan Principal at St Columba's College, Education Minister Adrian Piccoli MP and St Columba's students James Freeman and Jordan Hallam
Education Minister Adrian Piccoli MP and Member for Blue Mountains Dr Roza Sage paid a special visit to students from St Thomas Aquinas Primary and St Columba’s College in Springwood.
On Tuesday 11 March, Minister Piccoli met with students who were directly affected by the bushfires of October 2013.
Students spoke openly and movingly of how their lives have changed since their home-life and community were devastated by the fires. Several students acknowledged how much closer the experience has brought them as families and as a community. Year 11 St Columbus student James gave special thanks for his teachers who ‘were always there for him’.
Minister Piccoli said he was privileged to hear their stories and hoped, like the grass and trees were growing again, that they were beginning to move on with help from each other.
Dr Sage reassured students that grieving was a normal part of life sharing her own story and inspiring students with hope for the future.
Following the meeting, Minister Piccoli and Dr Sage joined students and teachers for a morning tea.
Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
www.parra.catholic.edu.au
-
04 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Congratulations to Amelia (Y7) on her outstanding performance at the 2026 The Horse Den State Interschools Championships during the school holidays. In a very competitive field, Amelia and her pony Ajah finished 7th in the 1.1 dressage and first in the 1.2 dressage. The St Columba's community is very proud of Amelia's wonderful achievement!
04 Aug 2026
From Facebook
On Friday 31 July students from Years 7-11 participated in the annual Write a Book in a Day competition. In year group teams, students worked together between 8am and 6pm to conceptualise, write, illustrate and publish a book for young Australians aged between 10 and 16. In addition to publishing a book, the competition also requires students to raise funds for the Kids’ Cancer Project. Their finished books are distributed in children’s hospitals across Australia. It was an enjoyable challenge for our students, who enjoyed collaborating to produce engaging stories and interesting illustrations. Congratulations to everyone involved!
Latest News More news
04 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Congratulations to Amelia (Y7) on her outstanding performance at the 2026 The Horse Den State Interschools Championships during the school holidays. In a very competitive field, Amelia and her pony Ajah finished 7th in the 1.1 dressage and first in the 1.2 dressage. The St Columba's community is very proud of Amelia's wonderful achievement!
04 Aug 2026
From Facebook
On Friday 31 July students from Years 7-11 participated in the annual Write a Book in a Day competition. In year group teams, students worked together between 8am and 6pm to conceptualise, write, illustrate and publish a book for young Australians aged between 10 and 16. In addition to publishing a book, the competition also requires students to raise funds for the Kids’ Cancer Project. Their finished books are distributed in children’s hospitals across Australia. It was an enjoyable challenge for our students, who enjoyed collaborating to produce engaging stories and interesting illustrations. Congratulations to everyone involved!
03 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Celebrating excellence, leadership and the bright future of St Columba's. On Wednesday morning, our College community came together for our Semester 1 Academic Awards and Leadership Commissioning, with more than 280 parents joining us to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our students. Students were recognised for their commitment to learning through the presentation of Academic Awards, along with Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards, acknowledging their dedication, perseverance and pursuit of excellence throughout the semester. The ceremony also marked an exciting milestone as we officially commissioned our new Student Leadership Team. It was a proud moment to present each of our student leaders with their leadership badge, while our 2027 College Captains, Mieke Watson and Lachlan Billiards, and Vice Captains, Lily Boersma and Beckett Kearns, received their College blazers. Congratulations to every student recognised on the day. We are incredibly proud of your achievements and look forward to seeing our new student leaders inspire and serve our College community in the year ahead. Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
03 Aug 2026
From Facebook
As part of the College's support for the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal, students from Years 7–12 took part in a Winter Stay-Out event. Through experiential learning, faith in action, and community spirit, students deepened their understanding of homelessness and poverty during an evening of challenges, reflection, and a powerful talk from Vinnies NSW Kim Crawford. A huge thank you to all the St Columba's families who contributed to our Winter Woolies Drive - your generosity has helped keep many people in our community warm this winter. 🧣❄️ #faithinactioncspd #winterappeal #socialjustice #vinniesNSW Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
03 Aug 2026
From Facebook
We are incredibly proud to announce that our 2026 Book Week celebrations raised $4,396.06 for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) — our biggest Book Week donation ever! The total was made possible through the wonderful generosity of our students, families and staff, who supported our Book Week costumes, picnic lunch, cake stall, Poem Apothecary and second-hand book stall. Every dollar raised will help support the incredible work of the ILF, bringing books, learning resources and literacy programs to children and communities across remote Australia. The Indigenous Literacy Foundation is a charity that is particularly close to our hearts at St Columba’s. Supporting literacy, celebrating First Nations stories and languages, and helping children develop a lifelong love of reading are values that strongly resonate with our College community. A huge thank you to everyone who helped us reach this incredible total. What a wonderful way to celebrate Book Week — by helping share the joy and power of books with children and communities across Australia. If you’d like to learn more about the important work of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, we encourage you to visit their website: www.ilf.org.au
03 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Over the recent holiday break, Year 12 student Nik represented New Zealand at the U18 Water Polo World Championships in Portugal. Nik made his mark on the world stage, scoring four goals throughout the tournament. The New Zealand team achieved a ninth-place finish – the highest ever placing by a New Zealand men's team at a Water Polo World Championships. What an incredible achievement! Congratulations, Nik, on your outstanding performance.
03 Aug 2026
From Facebook
Massive news out of Glasgow with St Columba's alum, Jenna Jones winning the 100m freestyle S13 at the Commonwealth Games and taking gold for Australia! Congratulations from all at St Columba's Jenna - such an awesome result! Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games #WeAreUnstoppable
29 Jul 2026
From Facebook
Be sure to check out the Schools on Show feature in the Blue Mountains Gazette today! Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
29 Jul 2026
From Facebook
Congratulations Jenna! First the gold and now the bronze! Outstanding! 🥇Gold 100m Freestyle s13 🥉Bronze 50m Freestyle S13 #jennawinsgold #jennawinsbronze Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games Australia
28 Jul 2026
From Facebook
It was wonderful to welcome Liliana Arango from University of Tasmania and Seona Findlay from the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture to St Columba's this morning. Seona spoke with Year 12 Agriculture and Year 11 Primary Industries students about the many opportunities available to them studying Ag at UTAS. Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese #agriculture #careersinagriculture #agronomy #Sustainability
28 Jul 2026
From Facebook
UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT 2026 Late last term our St Columba's Community was once again treated to the wonderful event that is 'Under the Spotlight'. It is hard to believe that so much talent exists in just one school! Congratulations to the talented and dedicated cast of performers and crew. It was an excellent showcase of the Performing Arts at SCCC. Special thanks to all of the staff who worked so hard to bring this annual spectacular together. #performingarts #music #drama Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
27 Jul 2026
From Facebook
⭐ Cross Country Success for St Columba's ⭐ In late June, 17 students from St Columba's Catholic College competed at the NSWCCC Cross Country Championships. We were thrilled to send such a large team to the event, with the College having the highest number of representatives of any PDSSSC Secondary School. At these championships, the following eight students qualified for the NSW All-Schools Cross Country Championships: Alexis Galloway-Smith Tasman Harrison Darcy Waring Odin Brennan Alton Freeman Keeden Harrison Benjamin Merrick Joshua Simone NSWCCC Cross Country Results 12 Years Girls Elizabeth White (46th/58) 13 Years Girls Alexis Galloway-Smith (9th/70) Ruby Ross (38th/70) Eva Hetherington (39th/70) 16 Years Girls Lulu Green (13th/53) Ava Lorking (22nd/53) 17 Years Girls Madeline Southers (19th/44) 18 Years Girls Annalise Blattman (15th/45) Annika Vasilev (29th/45) 14 Years Boys Tasman Harrison (6th/53) 15 Years Boys Darcy Waring (6th/54) 16 Years Boys Odin Brennan (3rd/50) 17 Years Boys Alton Freeman (1st/44) Keeden Harrison (3rd/44) River Rodemark (14th/44) 18 Years Boys Benjamin Merrick (4th/40) Joshua Simone (7th/40)